‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’

An immersive new installation at Thackray Museum of Medicine, Leeds 30 November 2024 to 5 January 2025 

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the land

The sick were being cared for by an NHS hand”

The experiences of Uchenna Akpuche, Staff Nurse at St James’s Hospital, Leeds, feature in ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’.

 Thackray Museum of Medicine, the UK’s largest independent medical museum, puts the experiences of NHS workers at the heart of an imaginative new, immersive installation, ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’.

Healthcare workers from across the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, inspired by arguably the most famous festive poem, have contributed their own candid and poignant memories of festive shifts gone by for a re-imagined version: ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’. Their stories of working in the NHS at Christmas will feature in a striking series of beautiful installations by paper artist and illustrator Andy Singleton and imaginatively be brought to life in heartwarming performances by specialist family theatre company, Wrongsemble.

 “Over at LGI in respiratory care,

Hannah stares at white walls, stark and bone bare;

Inspiration strikes and her head fills with plans,

So she gathers spare urine bottles and bedpans;

Not missing a beat, she works through the night,

Making festive decorations to charm and delight”

The experiences of Hannah Hall, Staff Nurse at Leeds General Infirmary, feature in ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’.

Edward Appleyard, Chief Executive at the Thackray, said:

“For many of us Christmas is a time of celebration, of family and friends, of getting together and sharing; but for those hardworking key workers lots of us don’t see, it’s a different kind of celebration. At the Thackray we wanted to show how the NHS staff create a special kind of joy at this time of year.

Andy’s ornate and delicate artworks are truly beautiful and with the magic of Wrongsemble’s performances bringing theatre and song to the installations throughout the building, we think everyone who visits will leave overflowing with festive spirit.”

From critical care to cardiology, Leeds Children’s Hospital to the labour ward, these vital NHS workers are the heart of the Trust, each working to make the season special for those in their care and their co-workers. Their Christmas recollections are the narrative for five 3D ‘books’, ranging in size from 70cm to nearly two metres tall, meticulously fashioned and folded by Singleton to create a trail of intricate artworks that will delight visitors to the museum at every turn.

Wrongsemble will be adding to the merriment with musical and romantically festive pop-up performances throughout the weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, visitors are invited to join in the fun by wearing dressing gowns and pyjamas to take part in hands on activities including screen printing Christmas cards, paper art wreath making and book binding.

Visitors to the grand entrance of the Grade II Listed former Leeds Union Workhouse will be welcomed to the museum by a sixth installation from Singleton that is complemented by festive decorations and festoons, all hand crafted from paper.

‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’ will run alongside the permanent galleries (including a replica Victorian Leeds street and operating theatre) and displays from the multi-award winning museum’s significant collection of over 75,000 medical innovations and objects charting the evolution of healthcare, as well as other temporary exhibitions.

“But the real feast awaits the maternity team: 

Smoked salmon, roast turkey, and cakes filled with cream; 

It’s laid out before their eyes full of glee,  

When off go their beepers and all then must flee; 

Lucy quickly exclaims, and then dives out of sight: 

“Happy Yuletide to all, and to all a good night!” 

The experiences of Lucy McCabe, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Consultant, feature in ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’.